Saisho no Ai
by Yukiume
Summary: First Love: The tragic love story of Itachi and the lover he sacrificed during the massacre for the peace of the world. ItaOC, cos Kishimoto didn't give her a name. Oneshot. Lemon. - Written to fit into the original series. -


**AUTHOR'S FORWARD**

**UPDATED on 19 December 2013 **- added a little this and that, but the storyline remains the same.**  
><strong>

This story is set in the pre-massacre en route the massacre of the Uchiha Clan; the **tragic** **story** of Itachi and his lover (who I assume to also be an Uchiha). Kishimoto didn't give her a name so she will have to be an **OC**.

What I hope to achieve from this story is for us to remember that the characters are first humans before they are ninjas. They have and feel emotions although they are trained to disregard them.

Without further ado, I present to you…

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><p><strong>Saisho no Ai – First Love<strong>

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><p>The condensation of her heated and frantic breaths rose into the atmosphere of the cold, cold night as she attempted to steady herself against the flimsy Japanese door frame. Her hand, dyed red from the blood that percolated her night robe, was pressing over the apparent wound at her abdomen. The other lost its grip on the hilt of her weapon as her strength waned. The clanging sound of the wakizashi (short katana) meeting the floor reverberated through the empty room.<p>

Her chakra was low; so low that one more use of any elementary jutsu would cost her life, but that was of no importance at this point, because the man that stood before her was none other than the one she had loved. Yes, 'had loved'… _How was she to bring herself to continuing loving someone like him?_

Damp black strands of shoulder length hair clung to her face from perspiration while beads rolled from her temple and off her chin, dissolving into the wooden planks of her invaded home. The moonlight reflected faintly in her crimson orbs as it melted back to the trademark coal eyes of the Uchiha Clan. The situation was bleak.

Through gritted teeth, she asked, "Why?"

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><p><em>Saigo no kissu wa tabako no flavour gashita - nigakute setsunai kaori.<br>Ashita no imagoro ni wa, anata wa doko ni irun darou; dare wo omotte 'run darou._

**(In our final kiss, I could taste the flavour of tabacco - a bitter, painful scent.  
>About this time tomorrow, where will you be? Who will you be thinking of?)<strong>

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><p>Parting the canvas of his tent, Itachi made his way out into the clearing of their encampment within the Land of Fire. It was his round for night watch, but she had not come to wake him for the switch like any normal officer would have done. With his chakra suppressed, his midnight eyes came to rest on the petite form of her back as she sat on the forest floor, staring into the glowing embers of the dying fire. Her dark hair was fastened into a high ponytail which kept them from obstructing her vision in battle. She had her legs hugged close to her chest and in her hand was the mask she so often donned while on duty.<p>

He assimilated her frame in the darkness and knew that she was aware of his presence when her body had stiffened in alert the moment he emerged, although she did not turn to acknowledge him. "Suzu-san, rest.", he instructed.

Emitting a sigh, she continued to gaze blankly into the flames, speaking with a tone as soft as his own. "I'm fine. I'll cover you, Taichou."

The light played faintly on her exposed skin, enhancing the already barren expression on her face as he advanced and took to seating the space beside her. He discerned that every smile she wore on the surface was deeply etched with pain; just like the many other shinobi-s who had lost their love ones in the Great War, but she was always good at hiding beneath that façade. They all were.

The forest was quiet, save for the crackling firewood and the sound of crickets' call, until she broke the silence. "You know why my parents decided that I should be named 'Suzu'?"

He was learned enough to understand that the question was rhetorical. He continued to observe quietly while waiting for her explanation.

She took a deep inhale of air and hesitated with her response. "My mother told me that when I was a baby, I would chuckle whenever a bell rang…" Pausing, she struggled to restrain her overwhelming emotions letting a wistful smile grace her lips. "Who'd think I would have found a silly thing like that to be amusing?"

Her furrowed brows betrayed that simple smile as her eyes welled up with the tears she probably had withheld for years. "I'm not strong enough." She did nothing to stop the droplets from trickling down her cheeks, leaving a clear trail of silver that sparkled in reflection of the glowing embers.

Suddenly, the sound of a whirling projectile tore through the silence. It caught her attention and she leaped off the ground, avoiding the kunai in time as it embedded itself into the earth she was once sitting upon. Her eyes bled red under the cover of her porcelain mask and she readied herself to confront the enemy.

Itachi had anticipated the attack just as she had and was standing a distance away, fully masked as well. Within seconds they were surrounded by five hostile ninjas, who, judging by the four vertical lines impressed on the plate of their forehead protectors, were from the Amegakure no Sato, the Hidden Village of Rain.

The ANBU captain took the lead; stepping forward to question the men, "What is your business in the Land of Fire?"

The tallest one scoffed with his eyes emanating a sinister aura. "You see, the problem with that question is: it is _my_ business. Not yours. So mind your own business Konoha scum!" With a single tilt of his chin, he commanded the others to go on the offence.

Three of the men lunged for her captain, while he tarried, waiting for the right time to strike; the other two were sneering in her direction, probably already concluding in their sick minds that she would be as easy as pie. Suzu snarled in contempt under her mask as they stalked around her like vultures waiting to feast on a carcass. Reaching for the hilt of her wakizashi, she drew it from the scabbard, still keeping her opponents in sight.

Then with a battle cry, one rushed at her, wielding a kunai in his hand. Crouching low, she dodged the assault and countered with an elbow to his ribs, causing him to fall back. From the corner of her eye, she saw the other forming seals and immediately recognised the technique he was using.

"Kuso!" She cursed, launching toward him in hopes to impede the completion of the technique, curving her blade when he was within reach.

He evaded in time and lifted his right arm to the heavens while pressing two fingers to his chin, sneering. "Kirigakure no jutsu (Hidden Mist Technique)."

Too late. Her Sharingan was good as a useless tool in the mist. She now had to depend on her other senses to survive this battle. Lowering her lashes and keeping her ears peeled, she listened for the rustling of feet on the dew coated grass. One was a pacing not far behind, while the other was before her, shifting his weight to his left feet, preparing to charge. Then the sound of his rapid footsteps in discrepant sync with the ones approaching from behind reached her ears, gradually increasing in decibel. From their formation, she was able to discern their intention and thought it was best to wait.

At the ideal moment, she leapt up and inverted in mid-air; slamming her free palm down on his shoulder for brief support. She effectively evaded his attack and simultaneously forced him down to the ground. As he fell, she lifted again, exhibiting flawless harmony when her blade twirled with the single diagonal three-sixty she executed in mid-air, slicing the other opponent, when he came within range, down the center.

When the mist dissipated, she had already ensured her opponents were incapacitated permanently before averting her attention to her captain who had - without a misplaced strand of hair - done the same with his. She bowed slightly as a display of respect and strode her way back to the campsite, since they had been thrown off-course.

"You're hurt." The low lilting tenor of his masculine voice came from behind her.

She was hoping that he had not noticed and brushed the topic off as though it was nothing. "It's just a flesh wound. I'll survive." Slipping behind the flap of her tent, she left him to guard over their encampment.

Basking in her privacy, she settled on the ground and disentangled the mask from her hair, tossing it aside, paying no mind to where it would land. Wincing as the flesh around the wound stretched, she lifted the unclasped ANBU vest over her head. She proceeded to do the same with her black lycra top, revealing the white overlapping layers of her chest-binding beneath. She traced her fingertips gently over the gash at her side and chastised herself inwardly for being weak.

Retrieving the first aid kit which she always brought along with her for missions from her pack, she picked out the items that she required to tend to her injury and set them down on the canvass covered floor. She dampened a piece of wool with alcohol and applied it to the wound, unable to withhold the soft strangled grunt from escaping her lips when the chemical stung on her raw flesh. Continuing with threading the surgical needle appropriate for the procedure and sterilizing it under a flame, she then pressed the sharp tip to her skin—

"Let me do it."

Startled, she screamed, immediately reaching for the strewn lycra top to hopelessly cover her modesty and glared up at him wide-eyed. "Itachi Taichou!"

"Hn." He smirked. Crouching to her height, he slid her hand away to examine the wound before their eyes met with an intensity that made her cheeks blush red. "Hand me the needle."

She shook her head in refusal and soon realised that the needle was no longer in her hand. In her state of panic, she must have had tossed it somewhere. She smacked her forehead and muttered nonsensical rubbish under her breath. Itachi watched in amusement as she scoured the floor for the missing surgical instrument only to find it by his feet. He made a grab for it before she could and smirked when she pouted in displeasure, leaving her with no other choice but to concede.

He directed her to lay down on her side with her back to him and she quietly obeyed. She tried to make herself comfortable by pillowing her head with an arm as he commenced with the stitching. Lowering her lashes, she felt the needle break her skin, but pain was minor compared to the wound itself. Trusting that she would be safe with him, she allowed herself to rest.

Knotting the end of the stitch, Itachi trimmed off the excess thread with the kunai that spilled out from her pack and affixed a gauze over it. He cleaned the blood off his hands, then hers with a towel as he observed the serenity of her features while she slumbered soundly; ribcage rising ever so slightly due to the constricting chest-bindings. He caught her shudder a little from the cold, so he searched around for something to cover her with. The shirt was too thin and her sleeping bag was under her. Finding none, he laid down, carefully replacing the arm under her head with his own. He turned to hold her, keeping her warm in his embrace and listened to her soft breathing till daybreak.

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><p><em>Tachidomaru jikan ga ugokida sotto shitteru. Wasuretakunai koto bakari yo.<br>Ashita no imagoro ni wa, watashi wa kitto naiteru. Anata wo omotte 'run darou._

**(Time had stood still, but it's starting to move again. All these things I don't want to forget.  
>This time tomorrow, I'll surely be crying. Probably thinking of you.)<strong>

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><p>She watched him wearily as he shuffled towards her, expression as stoic as he had always worn during missions, yet she had once known this man to be capable of love. His stained incarnadine eyes - like hers before her body deactivated the Sharingan in self-preservation – were a thousand times more potent than her own. She unsuccessfully retracted from him when he reached for her and pulled her into his arms. His lips hovered so mockingly close to her ear that when his exhalation fanned against her pallid skin, it burned. Pressing her deeper into him, he spoke with a voice in matching apathy as his expression. "You were useful to me while you lasted."<p>

Cleaving herself away with what little energy she had left, she glared through indignant eyes into his impassive ones. She clutched at the gash in defiance of the pain that shot throughout every nerve-ending in her body, although it paled in comparison to the intangible blade he had just sent through her heart with those words.

Stumbling as her knees gave out on her, she collapsed to the floor. She knew she was dying. Even a medic's attempt to heal her now would be futile. Blood was already flooding her lungs which caused her breathing to become increasingly strenuous with each passing minute. "H-How did we... end up like this... Ita-chi?" She had to know.

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><p><em>You are always gonna be my love, itsuka, dareka to mata koi ni ochite mo. I'll remember to love - you taught me how.<em>

**(You are always gonna be my love, even if someday you fall in love with someone else.  
>I'll remember to love - you taught me how.)<strong>

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><p>Facing the altar of the gods, Suzu bowed in utmost respect, hoping that her prayers would reach the heavens before tomorrow. She had to make the cut; or at least, she needed it to prove to herself that she was actually worth something in this world. Falling to her knees, she bowed low till her forehead touched the ground and pleaded, "Dear Kami-sama, as You already know, the ANBU Captain Entrance Examination is tomorrow and the thing is… no matter what You do, do not match me with Itachi Taichou, because that's a one-way ticket to the Hell I don't wish to go to." She lifted, clapped her palms together which startled the passing Shrine Maidens, and exclaimed, "Please-onegai, onegai-please! I love You! I'll donate all of next month's pay to the Shrine!"<p>

Prior to leaving the temple, she bought a tiny good luck charm and fastened it to the hem of her shirt as she proceeded across the bridge over the Naka River. She was going to need all of the luck in the universe tomorrow, especially since the rules stated that candidates are to fight with their basic skills – meaning no weaponry; also meaning she was dead meat – and if ever she was pitted against her own Captain, that was as good as instant death. There was no way she would be able to defeat the prodigy of their clan.

It was not just about the fight; things have been rather awkward between them since the mission. Not that she was complaining, but she was feeling confused at what the Uchiha was trying to achieve from his actions.

_A week ago, during the ANBU exercise, she woke that one morning in the sinewy arms of her Captain. Having thought that she was hallucinating, she poked at her wound, hard, to see if it hurt. Unfortunately, it did. She grunted at the discomfort resulting from her actions. Taking a moment to breathe, she studied the contours of his forearms which were laid out before her - the muscles were perfectly developed under his unblemished skin. She released the air from her lungs, unaware that she had been holding it in and snuggled against his warmth. Then the smooth as velvet, lilting tenor of his voice blew close to her ear, "Morning, Suzu-san."_

_She swore that she had practically jumped out of her skin then. "O-O-Ohayo gozaimasu, Taichou."_

_Itachi propped himself up as she had scooted a fair distance away and was, again, struggling to shield her nakedness from his eyes. He smirked. "Hn." Lengthening to his full height, he informed her that they will head back to Konoha when she was done packing and left the tent, leaving her to gape in absolute shock._

Since their return, he had been doing that – deliberately, popping out of nowhere, breathing into her ear and scaring the living crap-cakes out of her. It would not surprise her if he would appear now and did exactly that… but then again, it might. She shrugged inwardly and huffed, resting her elbows on the wooden ledge. Peering over the edge, she gazed at the flow of tranquil waters below the bridge, appreciating the way the rays of the afternoon sun would play on the surface and it created a strange stirring of peace within her which she needed.

"I see you paid a visit to the Naka Shrine."

'_Why, if it isn't the devil, himself?'_ She spun around to find him casually standing with his weight on his right leg and hands buried deep in the pocket of his navy blue pants. He wore the usual high-collared shirt the males of the Uchiha clan would wear, which was not much different from the female-version which she donned – short sleeved; V-necked; with the dignified insignia over the heart. "Taichou." She greeted him with a bow.

He positioned himself beside her with his back leaning against the railings. "You won't be calling me that after tomorrow."

Thinking that she might have misheard him, she raised her eyebrows in question. "Eh, what?"

"Are you ready for the trial?"

She paused for a moment as if moiling for the answer. "I doubt one would ever be ready for an examination of that caliber... save, maybe, for someone like your good self."

"Would you like me to train you, then, Suzu-san?"

Straightening with her spine upright, she gawked at him in disbelief. "You should've offered that, like, three days ago! Today is the cooling-off day. You know that! You're teasing me! Mou..."

"Hn." He smirked, folding his arms to his chest as he watched the girl flounder around the bridge in circles.

Finally settling down, she sighed. "Sorry... I'm just nervous."

"Suzu-san, you're a gifted kunoichi of the Uchiha clan." Itachi lifted off the railing and headed in the direction towards town. Adding just as he left, "You'll do fine against me."

Gripping her hair in her clenched fists, she screamed at the top of her lungs. "NAAAA-NIIIIIII?"

She swore that if she did not die first in battle, she would probably die from the heart-attacks he bestowed.

~o~o~o~o~o~

If the bags beneath her eyes were insufficient to prove her anxiety with regard to the upcoming match, she did not know what else did. She had spent the entire night tossing in bed, thinking of a way to outsmart the smartest Uchiha that ever existed and the odds were grim; and she doubt that there would even be any odds at all. She was going to fail miserably and she could already feel 'failure' crawling under her skin. Slumping deeper into her seat, she imagined that it would swallow her whole so that she could be spared the embarrassment.

She startled when the blowing whistle indicated the conclusion of the current match. So she peered over the concrete ledge of the stadium only to be greeted with horror. Her fellow shortlisted candidate, who had been utterly defeated by the ANBU examiner, was sprawled limp on the stretcher as the medics carried him out in critical condition. She blanched and her knees turned into mush.

There was a five-minute interval between matches for the grounds to be readied and for parties to prep. Deciding that she should pull herself together, she took the quiet route backstage, keeping her ears peeled for the whistle, which would signal for her entrance. While she waited, she re-fastened her hair making sure it was secured, not wanting it to hinder her performance and slid the porcelain mask over her face. She pressed a hand over her raging heart in effort to calm it.

Then it blew - her whistle. Lowering her lashes as she inhaled a long, deep breath. Then, exhaling the air, she buried her anxiousness and reminded herself to treat this like any other battle that she would fight, to protect what is important to her - her clan; her family's legacy; and the village she loved, Konoha.

Adjusting the straps of her armguards, she entered the arena, positioning herself across her examiner - her captain. The loud edict of the umpire's voice instructed them to bow and they obeyed, then with a shout of "Kaishi (begin)!" He disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving them to commence at each their own pace.

Suzu observed him from the distance between them, waiting for any indication he might emit and found none. Having spent three days with him in the forest during the reconnaissance exercise, she had learnt that he was one who favoured defense over offence. Her mind toiled at finding the best way to turn the tables on him.

Obsidian eyes transitioned to crimson as she sprang on her feet towards him, stirring up dust in her wake. Her right fist met the air as he parried to the left and countered with a hard thrust forward. Anticipating, she slapped his arm away and swirled a turn, elbow seeking contact with his neck. He ducked low, extending his leg in a wide sweep attempting to throw her off balance, but she leapt into the air, rounding her back in graceful art and executed a whimsical handspring, feet falling short of his chin had he not tipped his chin back.

The sound of her feet skidding against the earth as she landed and launched again echoed in the void of the arena. Drawing back her right arm to amplify momentum, she struck, aiming for his chest. He blocked, catching her wrist and forearm and flipped her to the ground. Her back slammed against the floor with an impact so hard it reverberated through her bones to every fiber of her being. Biting back a grunt, she reached her palms to the floor by either side of her shoulder and shifted her weight, kicking herself back up to her feet. She gritted her teeth and squeezed her clenching fists in annoyance from the fact that she was incapable of laying a single punch on him.

Hitching her breath, she leapt backwards once, twice, as he went on the offense, contriving a combination of attacks – swooping down low then taking to the air with an aerial kick, before burying his fist into her diaphragm, twisting it to magnify the damage.

Crouching over from the force, blood spewed from her throat as the strike successfully caused damage to her internal organ. Swallowing the pain, she seized the oppotunity, while he was within range, to hook her hand to the back of his neck and attempted to knee him through the porcelain mask, but he, being Itachi, was swift enough to evade.

Huffing, she straightened to her full height and slipped her hand under the mask to smear the blood off the side of her lips with a thumb, mentally plotting her next move. She had always hated doujutsu and was bad at it in her opinion, but she found herself forming the hand-seals of one familiar technique taught by the older generation of Uchihas to their children. "Katon: Hosenka no jutsu!"

She shot a trail of fireballs into space, directing them with her chakra towards her opponent. Observing as he avoided them as intended, she smirked. Taking a flash-step and appearing close to him, she managed to plant a blow to his side. Her first hit. Their eyes met briefly from beneath each their masks during the split second of her attack, scarlet to scarlet, with his bearing the minute shock from her successful contact.

Leaping back, he increased the proximity between them and studied her from the distance. He had to admit that her prowess did astound him for a moment. Deciding that it was time to exhibit his excellence as an ANBU Captain, he pulled her into his genjutsu.

She watched him as he flickered out of sight in his place. Reminding herself not to panic, she tarried and focused her Sharingan on discerning his moves.

Itachi appeared behind her hypnotised form, having already effectively captured her in his illusion. He made a lunge for her side, aiming for the recently healed wound with a flat palm. His fingers dug deep into her flesh, reopening the injury, genjutsu intensifying the pain a thousand folds and observed as she doubled over, screaming. Then, before his eyes, she melted away, disintegrating together with the surroundings. He smirked under his mask. She had countered his illusion with her own – truly a kunoichi worthy of the clan.

With his blood-red orbs, he scanned the area where she had led him to. It was familiar to him - the forest where they made their encampment during the ANBU exercise. The moon was suspended high above his head. The bonfire had completely burnt out and the ambience was hauntingly dark. Suzu was nowhere in sight.

He lifted his hands to form a seal with the intention of negating the genjutsu, when the sound of soft moans drifted to his ears. It piqued his curiousity, even when it was an obvious trap. Deciding to amuse her, he lowered his hands and headed in the direction from which it came - her tent; the tent they had spent the night in.

The sounds were a mix of pants and huffs, increasing in avidity as he grew closer. He strained to discern the voices, although he already knew at the back of his mind whose they were. Then a pleasured feminine cry of his name came from behind the flimsy flap of the tent caused his heart skipped a beat in his chest. This was not something he would ever expect from any of his opponents; she was different.

Breaking from her genjutsu, his eyes widen in surprise as she flashed into his vision, executing a refined butterfly kick. She hovered in the air, body pirouetting a three-sixty with her legs extended to strike each one at a time. He avoided her right leg which flew close to his face, but time was insufficient for him to evade the other. Her shin connected with his jaw and he found himself gliding through the air from the impact. The rough texture of the earth shredded the material of his lycra shirt while the tiny pebbles dug painfully into his exposed skin.

Without hesitation, she straddled him down with his arms pinned under her knees and made a launch for his jugular. The umpire appeared in a puff of smoke, seizing her by the wrist mid-strike, impeding the assault and called the match to a conclusion. She made it.

She was smiling from ear to ear under her mask as she struggled to contain the excitement of her achievement.

After the medics healed the bruises and cuts off her body, she stripped from her ANBU gear and reverted to her usual village clothes. While she was leaving the building, she cringed as a troop of squealing girls stampeded past her to whoever was behind. Curious, she turned to find Itachi surrounded by a sea of screaming fangirls, though he paid no heed to them and his eyes were affixed on only her. There was something about them – his pair of obsidians - they were hazed and yearning for something more. It seemed apparent to her that he had wanted to talk, but thinking it best to leave him be, she beamed him her brightest smile and with a wave of her hand, she left him in his predicament.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Exiting from the shower with her untied bathrobe carelessly draped on her shoulders, she ruffled a towel through her damp tresses, ridding it of as much moisture as she could. While she did, she recalled the fulfilling events of the day and a smile crept onto her features. So engrossed was she in her thoughts that she failed to notice the masculine silhouette leaning against the wall of her room. He deliberately flared his chakra, causing her to stop dead in her tracks and drop the towel on the floor with a start. When she located the source and recognised his chakra signature, the shock dissipated.

Suzu stood her ground with unflinching confidence, biding as he began stalking towards her. The moonlight splayed its rays onto him through the opened window, revealing the pair of blood-red orbs that were feasting on her naked flesh. His gaze travelled south from between her bosoms to the lace material that shielded her intimate area and she did nothing to thwart his actions. He loomed over her, diminishing whatever proximity there was left between their bodies. So close they stood that with every inhale she took, her mounds grazed against the unyielding walls of his chest. Their heated breath mingled as she burrowed her eyes into his lust-filled ones, rewarding his every step forward with a step back.

"You played dirty." The usual tenor had dropped octaves lower, tainting his voice with desire.

She smiled a decidedly evil leer and challenged his accusation. "A shinobi has to expect the unexpected of his opponent."

He issued a growl against her nape at her reply before grazing against her flesh, trailing up to allow the tips of their noses to touch. Sliding his hands beneath her only cover, Itachi pressed his calloused palms to her waist, thumbs caressing little spirals on her skin. With her back finally pressed to the wall, she had nowhere to run. Not as though she had intended to go anywhere in the first place. She tiptoed enough to brush her lips to his, luring him to take the bait; and he did, drawing her lower lip between his own, lingering in the moment before breaking for air.

Lost in her yearning eyes, he yet again sealed his lips over. Experimenting. Tasting her in her entirety for the first time. Everything around them was forgotten. There was only He and Her. No one else.

Wrapping her arms around his shoulders as the kiss grew more passionate, she parted her lips to invite him in. Their tongues met with his tracing the insides of her mouth. Both soon fought for dominance over the other, lacing together their tastes to create the most pleasant aphrodisiac. His hands once lingering at her hips were now journeying up to cup over her breasts with her humming into his mouth as coaxes of approval. Resistance was futile, that he knew for certain.

Reluctantly tearing his lips away from hers, Itachi backed away slightly just so he could hook his fingers at the hem of her satin bathrobe and guided the folds behind her shoulders. She assisted by lengthening her arms downwards when he released his grip, letting gravity slide it off to rumple on the ground in a haphazard heap. He studied her, soaking in the curves of her exposed body in the moonlight and she appeared beautiful in his eyes.

Leading him by the hand at a delayed pace towards the laid out futon on the floor, they both knelt facing the other. Her fingertips stroked the angles of his cheekbone, gliding back to release his hair-tie and tangled them in the cascading strands of his long hair that tickled her skin. He connected their lips, running his tongue along the ridges of her teeth making her moan in heated passion as her hands fisted themselves in his shirt, half-tearing, half-forcefully attempting to undress him. She drew in a shaky breath when they broke from the kiss and she pulled his shirt off him as he lifted his arms above his head. He smirked from the way her midnight eyes transitioned into scarlet as she studied the impeccably defined muscles of his torso and chest.

Leaning up to him, she sealed their lips again, her palms examining the contours of his abdomen while his fingers trailed down the arch of her back in a teasing caress, scattering her senses beyond control. They came to rest on the risqué lingerie protecting her modesty where he traced on the texture of lace to halt over her secret place. Her sighs indicated that she needed more than he was giving and he understood. Amplifying pressure with his middle finger, he caught the hitching of her breath with his mouth as he proceeded to nurture her want, sopping the material with her arousal in his wake.

She moaned from the pleasure his fingers bestowed. Extending her arm across his, she stroked his hardness over the fabric of his pants and drew from him a feral growl with her first contact. Recoiling from his lips, she smiled in tiny victory that she had the great Itachi of their clan needing her like he needed no one else. So with every brush of his fingers at her secret place, she would reward him by raking her nails through the fabric against his length.

Seizing the opportunity when she faltered with her ministrations, he forced her down to the sheets, pressing his full weight against her between her legs. Chest to chest. Skin on skin. Without hesitation, he crashed his lips to hers and slipped the lace aside, coating his fingers slick with her fluids. Loitering at the outskirts of her femininity, he caressed the sensitive bundle of nerves, earning him a buck of her hips against his groin as she clawed his back. He hissed into her ear when she drew blood. She was such a sin.

Planting kisses at her jawline and down her throat, he then ran his tongue on the faint pulsation of her heartbeat beneath her flesh. She let out a raspy sigh and buried her face into his shoulder while her fingertips threaded along his back, seeking to soothe the hurt of each and every battle scar she encountered. He kissed the space between her mounds, leaving a trail of sliver leading to the underside of her left breast before averting his attention to her luscious pink nipple and closed his mouth over it. A jolt of pleasure shot through her body, knocking the wind out of her lungs as he nipped at her peak, teasing it between his teeth, then eased it with his tongue. Her fingers fisted in his locks from the intensity of his ministration as she begged for him to stop. He smirked, choosing to ignore her cries and proceeded to grant an equal amount of pleasure to the other.

Heading down south, he pressed his lips to the marks on her abdomen, lingering a while longer on the one she sustained from the ANBU exercise. Her womanly scent was suffocating, heightening the lust that was at the brink of blinding him. A single breathy moan was all that was needed to push him over the edge. He leaned back and growled, ferociously ripping the flimsy piece of lace off her body and all she could do was whimper in shock.

Within seconds, he had removed his pants, exhibiting his proud and eager manhood for only her eyes and from the way she lifted her lashes to meet his gaze, he read her expression and knew she was pleased with what she saw. He angled down to kiss her, not wanting their first intimacy to be just about the act itself, because whether he denied it or not, there was something more. He position his tip at the entrance to her secret place, coating himself slick with her moisture. At the exact moment he slid his tongue into her mouth, he eased inside of her, feeling her walls clamp tightly around his length.

Suzu threw her head back from his intrusion into her womanhood, fighting the urge to buck her hips upward in response.

An agonising groan ripped from his throat when her walls strove to accommodate his endowment. Suzu wrapped her legs around his hip, guiding him deeper into her depths as her eyelids grew far too heavy for her to keep them opened. He rested his elbows on the sheets at either side of her shoulder as he set a slow yet hard rhythm, ensuring that every thrust into her was deep, overflowing with sensations. He buried his face in the crux of her neck, breathing in the fragrance of her shampoo-scented hair.

Then she whispered something into his ear; something he never thought he would hear, "I… I love you, Itachi…"

He stopped… his breathing, his heart, his body they all stopped when she uttered those words in the glow of the moonlight. He looked at her with a blank expression, one she had never _ever_ seen on her Captain and it made her begin to doubt that he had intended for anything more than one night. In her mind, she was already chastising herself for being stupid to confess at such an inappropriate time. Her crimson orbs faded to dusk as she trembled in his hold, anticipating that he would reject her just like he did the rest of the kunoichi-s who regularly threw themselves at him and it surprised her when he said, "Tell me again.", his thumb was brushing her fringe from her temple.

"I love you." She reiterated with a tone more resolute than before, but inwardly, she was breathing a sigh of relief.

The sides of his lips curled to form a smile - a rare sight - another expression she had never seen on him - and he pressed them to her forehead. His fingers entwined themselves in her tresses as he met her lips, devoid of lust until a single jerk of her hips reminded him of the fact that they were still interlaced. Drawing back, he caught the mischievous yet seductive sheen of her eyes and his smile melted into a snarl, deciding that he might as well educate her that only he could dominate and not vice-versa.

Hooking under her knees with his arms and pinning her wrists to the bed, he retracted out of her, inch by agonising inch, while she wrestled in attempt to free herself. Slipping almost completely out of her womanhood, save for his tip, he lingered tauntingly at her entrance. Bending low, he rasped into her shell of her ear, "I'm going to make you scream and each time you hear my name after tonight, the urge to touch yourself will be unbearable."

With that, he rammed his length back into her and true to his word, she screamed. He did it again and again, till her strength ebbed away and she was left with no other choice but to concede to his dominance. Seeing as the girl beneath him had surrendered, he returned to a constant surging tempo, still ensuring he filled her every hollow. Her hips met his every thrust, moaning with pure ecstasy at the perfect friction he created within her. Fiery frisson began to coil in her belly and the quicker he plunged, the closer she was to her release. Her keen moaning became urgent cries of pleasure as the burning commenced, splitting through every fiber of her being.

"I-Ita-chi!" She gasped brokenly. "I... I can't—."

He halted. _Deliberately_. Denying her the release she sought and saw her lashes fly open to stare wide-eyed at him in disbelief. He smirked. Tearing a hand free from his clutch and reactivating her Sharingan, she attempted to strike him, aiming to wipe that smug look off his face. He parried, just barely, but it was enough for her to claim the advantage.

Flipping him over, she straddled him against the sheets. Holding his gaze, she sent illusions of what she intended for him and felt his manhood throb with expectancy inside her. The scowl that had formed between his brows vanished the moment she started the roll of her hips, slow first, then gradually picking up speed. A low moan escaped his lips as his hands tracked up her thighs to grip her by the hips, rocking her body in sync with his upward thrusts. He watched her breasts bounce in harmony with her movements as she tilted her head back from the immense sensations he bestowed.

He could not comprehend how it was that she could undo him the way she did. Every stroke of his shaft brought about an invasion of unimaginable pleasure he was incapable of putting into words and the constriction of her femininity made it tough to inhibit the fluids from surging pass his tip. He shut his eyes in attempt to hold out – not willing to lose to her, especially not after the earlier match – unaware that his breathing now escaped in short staccato bursts. His fingers clamped down on her thighs in anticipation of the promising euphoria and released a strangled groan from his throat.

Then, she stopped. _Abruptly._ Giving him a taste of his own medicine. Donning a similar smirk as he had earlier when he did exactly that, she mocked, "Two can play the same game."

Itachi gritted his teeth. "There won't be any games left to play when I'm done with you." His voice emanated a dangerous lilt. The three tomoe-s in each his blood-red eyes swirled in an angry dance around his irises as he lifted and slammed her hard against the futon so quick that time was insufficient to ready herself for the brutal impact, successfully knocking the air out of her lungs. Before she was able inhale the much needed breath, he pounded his organ into her rapidly while lifting her calves up against his shoulders to disallow her freedom of movement.

Suzu squeezed her eyes shut from the double sensations of pain and pleasure as he slammed deep into her secret place, voicelessly reminding that he was in charge, that she belonged to him. His relentless efforts forced her to cry out his name as that same burning coil he denied earlier returned, stirring within her. With a final scream that tore through the night, she crumbled. Everything he built inside her burst with a blinding white light behind her eyelids, enveloping her senses with such abandoned bliss she had never experienced in her lifetime.

He gasped as her release overpowered the control of her movements and her body arched back in its own accord, walls pulsating against his length. Tingling pleasure rippled under his skin as he struggled to withstand the overwhelming sensations in futility. Surrendering, he filled her vacant space with his seed as he hoarsely uttered her name with a shaky voice.

Shuddering as he came down from his high, he collapsed, laying his cheek over her heaving breast, remaining one with her because it only felt right. Her fingers combed through his hair, brushing the misplaced strands of black back to where they belonged and planted a kiss on his forehead, telling him once more in a soft, tired whisper that she loved him more than anything else in the world.

Lowering his lashes, he dug his arms between her body and the sheets to hold her as he listened to the corybantic beats of her heart gradually return to normalcy, letting it lull him to sleep alongside her.

* * *

><p><em>You will always be inside my heart. Itsumo, anata dake no basho ga aru kara.<br>I hope that I have a place in your heart too._

**(You will always be inside my heart. Forever, there will always be a place specially for you.  
>I hope that I have a place in your heart too.)<strong>

* * *

><p><em>A mere four months they had, brimming with full beautiful and happy memories of the time they spent strolling down the streets of Konoha. She would clutch his arm while his hands remain buried in his pockets, proudly parading her as his own; and who could forget those rare, silly occasions when Itachi would implicitly tease his best friend of the fact that he, Shisui, was still single and lacking - which she appreciated to be quite the entertainment.<em>

_However, it has been two weeks since she last saw him and whenever she did, he would constantly give her the cold shoulder or disappear before he was within her arm's reach. Then, when she heard those dubious, tragic rumours, her heart sank. There was not even the slightest possibility that Itachi could have murdered Shisui; or dumped the latter's body in the Naka River; or forged that suicide note in the victim's handwriting with his Sharingan. She had to see him. She needed to know. _

_Yet each day she found herself running down the same avenue leading to his parents' home, banging desperately on the front door asking to see him. His mother would greet her with her kind eyes, disappear into the house to relay the message to her dear elder son and return only with news that Itachi was too busy to see her._

_And if that did not already hurt enough, his little brother, who stood by the corner witnessing the moment with his innocent black orbs, would approach and question his mother 'why nii-san wouldn't see onee-san'. She would swallow the pain and mask her true emotions under that smile like she knew how; pat the boy on his head and say, "Hi there Sasuke-kun. I've heard that you will be entering the academy next year. Ganbatte ne!" That always made the little one puff his chest in utmost pride and outpour his tirade of new moves he had learnt and it made her wonder whether Itachi was ever as jovial as his brother when he was a child.  
><em>  
><em>She never thought she would see him again, until tonight, when the full moon was at its peak in the cloudless nightsky. He appeared in her bedroom as always, but this time fully equip in ANBU gear along with the stench of bloodlust and killing-intent emanating off his pores. She only had her instincts and reflexes to thank when she roused from sleep in time to draw her wakizashi from its scabbard and countered his attacking blade with her own.<em>

Somersaulting away from the confines of her futon, she stood a clear distance from the intruder, eyes bleeding into the deep red of the Sharingan as her mind strove to make sense of the situation. "What is the meaning of this?"

He remained mum and without warning, he lunged towards her with his katana, flickering from the left to the right. Turning by the hair of a second, metal clashed against metal in disagreement as she blocked his attacked from behind. She lashed out an elbow at him while he was still within range, but he evaded.

Back where the proximity between them was ideal enough for her to analyse him and he - her; both their bloodline limits were activated to its full potential. She was well aware that she could barely keep up with his speed and accuracy even with her Sharingan; after all, Itachi was the elite of their clan, the prodigy and he seems like he was serious about hurting her.

"Itachi! Tell me what's wrong!"

Yet again, he swung in a quick motion, grasping the hilt of his katana backwards so that the blade was parallel with his forearm and dived at her. She read the stance and knew immediately that by his doing that, he was amplifying his power. So the exact moment he reached her side, curving the katana and seeking to cut, she ducked down and countered with a low spinning back thrust. He anticipated it and delivered a kick to her side, sending her across the room to meet the wall with a sickening thud.

Grunting from the acute pain at her left shoulder, she bit her lip and twisted the dislocated bone back into its socket, constantly keeping that watchful eye on her opponent. Using the foundations as support, she aided herself to her feet, fingers tightly gripping the handle of her weapon.

"We don't have to fight, just tell me what's wrong!" She stalked forward and halted a safe distance away, gritting her teeth in utmost displeasure. "Come on!"

Her efforts to communicate with him were futile when he charged at blinding speed in her direction. Suzu tarried in her place for the right moment. Parrying a strike from beside her ear, she twirled around forcing his weight against him when he missed his target. Their blades clashed, edge grinding against edge creating sparks from the friction. She glared past the obstructions of their swords, Sharingan to Sharingan until something strange happen to his eyes.

The tomoe-s in his eyes blended together to form a swirling pinwheel and the next thing she knew was that she was trapped in a land of inverted black and white, save for the red rays of light that spilled through her window. Itachi was nowhere to be found. Gathering that this was probably some sort of unaccounted for genjutsu, she took her lower lip between her teeth, drawing blood in attempt to escape the captivity of his illusion, but nothing happened. Everything remained as it is. Cursing at herself to concentrate, she focused her Sharingan and depleted almost all her chakra reserves, she broke free from the chains.

Consciousness returned only in time for an immediate piercing sensation to sear through her being. She gaped in horror at her abdomen where his katana was buried up to the hilt, then gaze up at him in confusion, trying to read his impassive expression for an explanation as to why he wanted her dead. Then the overwhelming pain flooded back in when he ripped the blade clean from her body. Stumbling back slightly, she pressed hand over her gaping wound, ignoring the sting and lunged to attack. Every one of her strikes were countered with blows to her weak points.

All these events led up to the point where she was at now - half-alive on the floor, lying in a pool of her own blood, fighting to hold on to consciousness.

~o~o~o~o~o~

Wheezing strangled breaths, she fought back an oncoming fit of coughs caused by the progressively blocking trachea. She squeezed her eyes as tight as she could. Maybe this was all a dream. Maybe when she wakes in the morning he will be by her side, showering kisses to her nape like he always did, but the splitting pain in her abdomen brought everything all back into perspective. This was no dream.

It was too much to take. Too much for a kunoichi even of her caliber to withstand. Tears forced their way through her eyelids and trickled down her cheeks. If her heart was not already broken, it was now, far beyond redemption.

The sound of his sheathing katana invoked her attention and she lifted her lashes, observing through tear-filled eyes as he turned to leave. Reaching out in his direction with languid, bloodied fingers, she struggled to speak. "Ita… Matte (wait)…"

For that crucial split second, she caught him stiffen before peering through insensitive eyes over his left shoulder, saying nothing.

"He's gonna punish me… won't He? Kami-sama…" Her lungs rattled wet against her ribs as she managed a minute chuckle. "Gomen-ne (sorry)… I did admit I am weak."

"Have you said enough?" He finally regarded her, turning to stare down at her sprawled form. Try as he might to have hidden it, she heard the anguish resonating in his voice and knew then that he had his reasons for his action.

She blinked wearily and flashed him a sad, wistful smile, shaking her head to indicate her response. "There'll always be a place for you…" Shifting the hand from over her wound to rest over her heart. "Here…"

It broke him. His façade crumbled as he rushed to her side, bending over to cup her pale face in his palms and press his lips to her livid ones in a kiss long overdue, breaking apart only when a wave of coughs tore through her throat. She grimaced slightly from the burning in her chest as it soon tided over.

He smeared the blood that spilled from the side her lips with a thumb and brushed the strands of her long noir hair away. "Hate me. It's easier that way."

Again, she shook her head, mouthing the word, 'never'. She extended her hand to sluggishly caress his cheek a last time and he gripped it gently, pressing it to his face, planting kisses on her bruised knuckles. She smiled tiredly and blinked her eyes, once, twice… and did not open them again.

"Suzu…?" Her hand slipped from his hold as gravity dragged it down to her side.

"Ita-chi…" She whispered, chest raising less. "Tell me… you love me."

"Suzu, you know I do." He laid his ear over her heart and listened to the light flutter of its uneven beats while his own raced in absolute contrast.

"Just… once…" She pleaded.

"I love you." He said in a soft voice, hoping that it was not too late for her to hear those words.

With that last teardrop that trailed down the side of her face, she was no more. Her chest stilled; her heart was beating no longer. Itachi laughed a nervous quick burst and nuzzled his nose into the crevasse of her nape. Her body was colder than ever.

Tangling his fingers in her dark locks, he pressed his lips to her moistened cheek, kissing her a final goodbye and whispered a promise that if the gods should ever pardon the sins of his past and the sins to come, he will see her again.

Taking one last look at her eternally sleeping form, he left her and continued en route to finish the mission he started.

* * *

><p><em>Now and forever you are still the one. Ima wa mada kanashii love song. Atarashii uta utaeru made.<em>

**(Now and forever you are still the one. I'll keep singing my sad love song, until the day that I can sing a new song once more.)**

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** *cries hysterically*

The title of this story and the lyrics are extracts from the beautiful song by **Utada Hikaru – First Love**. I recommend you take a listen to the song after reading this to feel the love.

Thank you for reading. Reviews are always appreciated.

Happy Christmas!


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